Closing the Hole

Experts weigh in on best practices for the safest, most secure school bus

Julie Metea | Contributing Editor

Ask a few people about best practices in school bus safety and security, and you're bound to get a variety of answers. We turned to a few consultants with that same inquiry, and we ended up with a variety of opinions.

While the consultants offered different examples of best practices, they all agreed on a "big hole" in best practices - alignment on discipline for student behavior that threatens school bus safety. However, solutions are in the works.

Mitigating Circumstances

One of the most important safety practices is formulating prevention procedures, according to Mike Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International Inc., and a renowned school security expert. A foolproof plan aims to prevent crime, violence, accidents and disruptive events.

"School transportation has been on the forefront of safety for a long time. There's a greater awareness because they know the vulnerabilities," said Dorn. "Some schools are almost military-like in inspecting buses. They do full safety inspections, even if it's not required by the government."

Pine Crest, a private pre-kindergarten through 12 th -grade preparatory school with 1,650 students on two campuses in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, Fla., takes pride in its thorough school bus loading and unloading practices. It started with safety zones built into a new multi-level garage. The ground level is reserved for loading and unloading school buses, and the area is gated to prevent traffic or strangers from entering the zone. Once students enter or exit the buses, a guard and school employee double-checks areas in and around the vehicles. Once clear, the gates are opened for buses and students to pass.

This prevents incidents such as stranded students, abductions or accidents, according to Joe Markham, Pine Crest school transportation director. The bus canopy also protects buses and occupants from lighting strikes, which are common in Florida.

"We haven't heard of any district doing the same thing the same way," said Markham. He adds that parents are heavily involved in school bus safety issues, since they pay for the transportation service.

Planning that Pays Off

School districts that want to ensure safety and security should follow best practices in three other emergency planning areas, according to Dorn. After precautionary measures, school districts need customized plans for emergencies, responses and recovery. All of them should be modeled by the U.S. Department of Education, considered the national standard.

"If you don't have these areas planned well, you won't be prepared," said Dorn. "I've seen districts use general plans, not integrating it to other parts of the community. The result is very disjointed."

Schools with best-practice emergency planning are aligned with their community, emergency professionals, law enforcement, legal counsel and even local military. Some school districts reach out to helpful community partners, such as Macon County, Ga., partnering with the nearby Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Anniston, Ala., partnering with the local military facilities.

Safety-savvy school districts update the plan annually, widely distribute and train obsessively, according to Dorn. Tools, such as emergency flip charts for school bus drivers, constitute best practices.

For school districts that want to know where they stand on emergency planning, Safe Havens International Inc. offers a free online assessment survey at www.mikedorn.blogspot.com . The questions are based on the U.S. DOE's and Jane's models for school safety planning. The tool allows districts to take a critical review of their current emergency procedures by identifying gaps or weaknesses in their plans.

The group also offers other free resources on its Web site for safe school planning ( www.safehavensinternational.org ).

Holistic Best Practices

Since witnessing nationwide school tragedies - everything from severe weather to extreme violence, the School District of Hillsborough County serving the Tampa, Fla., area has taken its emergency planning very seriously.

"The district as a whole is safety conscious. We have all sorts of procedures. Our binders are huge," said Beverly DeMott, director of Hillsborough's school transportation.

Her school bus fleet and operations are included in the district's overall emergency plan, but there are extra steps taken to prepare the community for transportation emergencies. The district informs the community about mitigation, emergency planning, response and recovery information for a variety of scenarios - from abductions to railroad crossings. For hurricanes, emergency procedures are in place (and accessible on its Web site, http://apps1.sdhc.k12.fl.us/AdminDiv ) for assisting students and the community.

The transportation department distributes a bi-weekly newsletter to emphasize safety, recognize employees and prepare for upcoming events. An event highlight for the district is the annual emergency training at the nearby Florida State Fairgrounds.

Employees and students act out a mass-casualty scenario and practice their emergency techniques. This year, they'll focus on a fictional Avian Flu outbreak.

While the district hasn't experienced a major disaster to test its plan, it has handled everything from school lock downs, gas leaks and bomb scares. "It's critical that we're all working together. We work with governments, non-profits and drivers. It's a never ending battle," said DeMott.

Closing the Best Practice Hole

Despite good practices, safety consultants cite a hole in handling bullying and bad behavior on school buses.

"If they are a threat to safety, they should be history. The district, drivers, aides and monitors need to agree on what constitutes bad behavior," said Bill Hoosty of WRH Consulting Group, Inc., in Syracuse, N.Y. "It's not consistent across the board and enforcement needs to happen. The bar has been lowered for so long that when attempting to raise it, people complain. We've gone too far, in my opinion,"

Another student management consultant believes there can be "peace in the seat." Cal LeMon, president of Executive Enrichment and a frequent industry keynote speaker, helps districts take leadership without apology to combat bullying, name calling and whining - behavior that threatens safety.

"There are few best practices. It's a weak point. We don't hold the drivers accountable for discipline. When the drivers do step up, administrators and teachers don't always back them up," said LeMon. "Drivers need to stop feeling like they're at the bottom of the food chain and assert their professionalism. They need to empower themselves."

The Adams-12 School District near Denver, Colo., could become the benchmark, if its newly launched student management program cuts down on bad behavior on school buses. The program centers on a demerit system that's designed to make students accountable for their behavior. Already, four students have reached the maximum points for bad behavior and lost their privilege to ride the bus for the rest of the school year.

"We're providing students with a choice and putting responsibility into their hands. They can choose not to be suspended," said Pauline Gervais, former transportation director, Adams 12 Five Star Schools. She recently became the school bus safety instructor for Denver Public Schools.

Under the infraction system, students are removed from buses once they reach ten points for bad behavior. The highest violations - fighting, carrying a weapon or throwing items out of windows - cost six points.

She believes proactive bus drivers and understanding parents will be the key to the program's success. Both groups were brought into the planning and communication.

"School districts have an opportunity to make kids successful. We can change their behavior, not punish it," Gervais said. "We need to make it work and be consistent. Kids are our best resource."